Science Policy Report

Address all comments to the Science Policy Office at:
sciencepolicy@sciencesocieties.org

11 May 2011

In This Issue:

International Corner

Research, Education, Extension Funding Opportunities

Conferences, Meetings and Reports

Congressional/Administration News

International Corner

Recommendations from a two-year food aid quality review released on 26 Apr. by researchers from Tufts University outline concrete ways for USAID and USDA to make enhancements to the impact of U.S. food assistance. Using funds authorized by Congress, the report was undertaken by USAID's Office of Food for Peace and Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. The review identifies the high potential benefit of food aid focused on the nutritional requirements of older infants, young children and pregnant and lactating women, given the importance of nutrition during the 1,000 days between pregnancy and a child's second birthday. The report recommends reformulating fortified, blended foods; improving composition and use of fortified vegetable oil; improving fortified cereals used in general food distributions; using ready-to-use products when appropriate; and modifying USAID processes and guidance given to implementing partners. View report: www.foodaidquality.org

On 1 May, the U.S. government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), kicked-off Haiti's National Agriculture and Labor Day by inaugurating a cutting-edge agricultural training center. The Sustainable Rural Development Center will help modernize Haiti's agricultural sector by training farmers to use innovative agriculture techniques that will increase crop yields and boost incomes. The five-hectare campus features a training center, warehouse, dormitory, three laboratories and a distance-learning facility. The dormitory will allow farmers from across the country, including the northern region, to benefit from the resources physically located at the Center, and an online video link with the University of Florida will connect them to the expertise of U.S. agronomists. Haitian farmers will learn how to analyze soil, identify pests and diagnose diseases that hamper crop production. They will also learn to use tools and techniques like drip irrigation and fertilizer briquettes that reduce costs and boost yields. Agriculture is central to the Haitian economy, generating nearly 25 percent of gross domestic product and employing more than 60 percent of the population, but declining crop production has plagued Haiti for the past 50 years.

The Global Harvest Initiative published the second of five issue briefs outlining policies to sustainably increase the rate of agricultural productivity and address hunger and food security in anticipation of a global population surge to over nine billion people by 2050.  The issue brief, “Removing Barriers to Global and Regional Trade in Agriculture,” highlights the critical importance of improving food and agricultural trade flows in the coming decades to counter the impact on agricultural supply resulting from changing weather patterns, urban population shifts, and limitations of water, land and inputs, among other factors. The policy issue brief also proposes recommendations for eliminating trade barriers and calls for a more active leadership role by the U.S. Government in finalizing and expediting multilateral, bilateral, and regional trade agreements. Encouraging and strengthening trade agreements will result in increased market access and the more efficient production of agricultural goods, thereby greatly improving global food security. GHI’s first issue brief addressing the importance of agricultural research was released on April 21, 2011. Subsequent GHI issue briefs will address development assistance, science-based technologies, and private investment. View brief: http://www.globalharvestinitiative.org/policy/Removing_Barriers_Global_Regional_Trade_Ag.htm. Learn more about Global Harvest Initiative: http://www.globalharvestinitiative.org. Visit GHI’s new interactive map which highlights key agricultural facts and figures from around the globe.

Research, Education, Extension Funding Opportunities

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announces the availability of approximately $55 million in grant funds, less USDA administrative costs, to solely enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. Specialty crops are defined as fruits and vegetables, dried fruit, tree nuts, horticulture and nursery crops (including floriculture). State departments of agriculture, meaning agencies, commissions, or departments of a State government responsible for agriculture within the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are eligible to apply. Please contact your local State department of agriculture if you are not eligible to apply. State contacts can be found at www.ams.usda.gov/scbgp. Deadline 13 Jul http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=89434

The Instrumentation and Facilities Program in the Division of Earth Sciences (EAR/IF) supports meritorious requests for infrastructure that promotes research and education in areas supported by the Division (see http://www.nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?div=EAR). EAR/IF will consider proposals for:1) Acquisition or Upgrade of Research Equipment that will advance laboratory and field investigations, and student research training opportunities in the Earth sciences. The maximum request is $1,000,000. Deadline 26 Jul. http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=90993

The purpose of the New Technologies for Ag Extension Program (NTAE) is to increase the capacity of each State to contribute expertise and content to the development of eXtension, a national web-based information and education delivery system that provides direct access to science-based educational resources from land-grant and other partner institutions about subjects of high importance to the general public. This initiative is intended to dramatically change how the CES does business with its customers. Applications are being solicited for the NTAE to deliver: state of the art technology and software applications, high quality leaders and staff, training for an exceptional CES workforce, legally binding contractual and financial instruments, and comprehensive evaluation, communications and marketing activities. Deadline 17 Jun. http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=91613

The Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) provides awards to Tribal Colleges and Universities, Alaska Native-serving institutions, and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions to promote high quality science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, research, and outreach. TCUP-eligible institutions are predominantly two-year and community colleges. Planning Grants provide support to undertake self-analysis of the TCUP-eligible institution's undergraduate STEM programs to identify components that need improvement or enhancement in order to ensure a high-quality undergraduate STEM education. Projects provide support to design, implement and assess comprehensive institutional efforts to increase the numbers of STEM students and the quality of their preparation by strengthening STEM education and research. Deadline 21 Jul. http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=89413

Conferences, Meetings and Reports

An updated version of ASA, CSSA, and SSSA’s “Citizen Scientist’s Guide to Public Advocacy” is now available at: https://www.agronomy.org/files/science-policy/activities/spo-ccst-advocacy-guide-2011.pdf.  The Guide provides invaluable information concerning how to be an effective citizen scientist and support the agronomic, crop, and soil sciences.

A recent study published in Science magazine cites annual agricultural losses of $22.9 billion owing to white-nose syndrome which is killing off hundreds of thousands of bats. In the study, researchers found that a colony of 150 brown bats in Indiana eats 1.3 million pests a year that could harm agricultural land. Bat researchers criticized the current "wait and see" approach to dealing with the problem. “Bats are among the most overlooked, yet economically important, non-domesticated animals in North America, and their conservation is important for the integrity of ecosystems and in the best interest of both national and international economies," researchers wrote in the study. A largely mysterious phenomenon, white-nose syndrome is linked to a fungus that spreads as bats hibernate. It was identified in 2006 in the United States near Albany, N.Y., and at least seven species of bats are affected. A study last year found that the disease could cause the regional extinction of the myotis bat.

On 27 Apr, USDA released a pre-publication copy of its long-awaited 2011 Resource Conservation Act Appraisal. The appraisal, part of USDA’s implementation of the Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act (RCA), assesses the status of soil, water, and related natural resources on non-Federal land and analyzes the effectiveness of current conservation policies and programs. The RCA also directs USDA to develop a “national conservation plan” in response to its Appraisal.  The plan is due to Congress early next year and might also serve as a vehicle for Administration ideas for the conservation title of the 2012 Farm Bill.

On 27 Apr, the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers issued a proposed guidance for determining which waters are protected under the Clean Water Act.   The notice of the release of the proposed guidance was published in the Federal Register on May 2, which started a 60-day public comment period on the proposed guidance. The newly released proposed guidance would provide increased protections for some critically important U.S. waters that were left unprotected in previous guidance documents issued after the U.S. Supreme Court cases.  It would protect interstate waters and many geographically isolated waters that previous guidance documents left unprotected.  Another important feature of the proposed guidance is that it would allow for watershed aggregation of tributaries and wetlands in the watershed of a navigable water.  Without this protection, each single tributary or wetland might be degraded or polluted without Clean Water protection.  Over time the entire watershed, including the navigable waters, could suffer harm. The proposed guidance has exclusions important to farmers and ranchers.  For example, it would not cover artificial lakes or ponds created by excavating or diking dry land and used exclusively for agricultural activities such as livestock watering or irrigation. Dry areas that are artificially irrigated and take on wetland characteristics but revert to dryland when irrigation ceases would not be covered.

The National Academies has released a report which finds that nearly all states have insufficient information to evaluate their progress in reducing nutrient pollution, limiting their capacity to make midcourse corrections. Additionally, tracking and accounting issues lead to an incomplete and possibly inaccurate picture of the bay jurisdictions' overall progress in meeting program goals. The report highlights approaches for improving the tracking and accounting of pollution control practices, including creating a consolidated regional best management practices program and increasing use of intensive small-watershed monitoring and concluded that establishing a Chesapeake Bay modeling laboratory would likely build credibility with the scientific, engineering, and management communities and improve the integration of modeling and monitoring. The report states that potential strategies that could be used to meet the Chesapeake Bay Program's long-term goals include improving manure management in agriculture, curbing residential fertilizer use, and exploring additional air pollution controls. View "Achieving Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Goals in the Chesapeake Bay: An Evaluation of Program Strategies and Implementation" at: http://dels.nas.edu/Report/Achieving-Nutrient-Sediment-Reduction-Goals/13131

Congressional/Administration News

Mid-April, the ASA, CSSA, and SSSA Executive Committee visited with administration and congressional staff about the need for increased investments for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education and training in the agronomic, crop, and soil sciences. To view the grand challenges for each society, the STEM education leave-behind, and additional workforce funding information, please visit the Science Policy Office workforce development page located at: www.agronomy.org/science-policy/issues/education-workforce.

The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA), American Society for Nutrition (ASN), and the Council on Food, Agricultural & Resource Economics (C-FARE) sponsored Bringing Urban Agriculture to Life, on Monday, May 9. Urban agriculture programs, which cultivate, process, and distribute food in or around metropolitan areas, are now cropping-up across the United States. Urban agriculture increases the access that residents have to fresh fruits and vegetables, providing better nutritional options for city-dwellers and influencing food security. While there are numerous advantages, to achieve economic or nutritional benefits, urban ag. program management must result in sufficient crop yield and empower urban farmers. By integrating materials and resources available to improve soil fertility and tilth into such programs, assisting with land tenure issues, and increasing access to micro-lending, municipalities can positively impact the health and well-being of their residents. View the Bringing Urban Agriculture to Life One-page Summary Document and the blogpost.

On 29 April, ASA, CSSA, and SSSA submitted comments to USDA’s Research, Education, and Economics mission area on the draft 2011 Science Action Plan. Comments were made on Challenge Areas, REE Roles, Strategies and Actions and Actionable Items for the following goals: GOAL 1: Education and Science Literacy; GOAL 2. Rural Prosperity; GOAL 3. Biofuels; GOAL 4. Responding to Climate Change; GOAL 5. Water Availability and Quality; GOAL 6. Landscape-scale Conservation and Management; GOAL 7. Food Security -- Local to Global; GOAL 9. Food Safety; GOAL 11. The Fundamentals – Crop and Livestock Production; and GOAL 12. USDA Science is Recognized and Used. View comments: https://www.soils.org/files/science-policy/testimony/usda-ree-draft-plan-comments.pdf

This week Democratic and Republican lawmakers will meet to negotiate an agreement on a debt reduction plan to accompany an increase in the debt limit, while the Senate Budget Committee could mark up an FY 2012 budget resolution.  Senate Republicans, meanwhile, continue to hound Democrats for delaying the unveiling of their own budget after House Republicans adopted their budget blueprint (H Con Res 34) in mid-April.  House Republicans, hungry for budget reform, despite the harsh criticism received for their austere budget particularly with regard to their proposal to fundamentally restructure Medicare for individuals who retire starting in 2022, point out that it would put the nation back on a fiscally sustainable path, cutting deficits by $4.4 trillion compared with the fiscal 2012 budget that President Obama submitted in February.  Senate Budget Committee chair Kent Conrad (D-ND) last week during a briefing of fellow Democrats on his tentative plan, told reporters that his budget, like the recommendations of the president’s fiscal commission, would reduce deficits by $4 trillion over 10 years through a combination of spending cuts and increases in revenues via an overhaul of the tax code.

Continuing with last week’s debt ceiling debate, during which participants agreed on the need to address the nation’s fiscal problems and outlined their positions, the White House and congressional leaders will begin the difficult process of coming to an agreement on deficit reductions. First up on the agenda this week will be a focus on areas where both sides agree that spending can be cut. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., after last week’s meeting said he believed there were areas where the two sides could “find some commonalities,” particularly on mandatory spending outside of the major entitlements. These bipartisan talks, led by Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., seek to find agreement on a debt reduction package to move in conjunction with legislation increasing the nation’s $14.3 trillion debt ceiling.  The Vice President announced last week that the administration saw these two issues as essentially connected, given GOP insistence that the debt limit won’t be raised unless something is done about the growing debt and deficits.

ASA, CSSA, and SSSA recently submitted testimony with FY 2012 funding recommendations for the federal science agencies supporting the agronomic, crop, and soil sciences to the corresponding House and Senate appropriations subcommittees.  Agencies of focus include USDA Agricultural Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture; National Science Foundation, US Forest Service; US Geological Survey, NASA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Department of Energy Office of Science; and EPA. Because discretionary spending, which funds the vast majority of science, is under extreme pressure for FY 2012, it is critical that the science community communicate the importance of and need to support science to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees.  View FY 2012 outside witness testimony (written/oral): https://www.agronomy.org/science-policy/testimony

Effective 20 May, USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Director Roger Beachy will step down. Beachy came on board October of 2009 when he took the helm of USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) and led the reorganization which transformed the agency into NIFA in 2010. That monumental effort from staff and Dr. Beachy forged NIFA’s reputation as a leader in promoting research and education into some of the most important issues facing the nation today. His leadership contributed to increasing the visibility of science and innovation at USDA so that American agriculture can continue to be the economic engine our nation needs, and help our country keep providing a safe and healthy food supply to the world. NIFA grants have recently been given to support such urgent national priorities as helping find solutions to the crisis of childhood obesity and developing the advanced biofuels that the United States will need for a clean energy future.  The search is one for Beachy’s successor.

Sources: Congressional Quarterly; E&E Publishing; Food Industry Environmental Network, LLC; National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

Vision: The Societies Washington, DC Science Policy Office (SPO) will advocate the importance and value of the agronomic, crop and soil sciences in developing national science policy and ensuring the necessary public-sector investment in the continued health of the environment for the well being of humanity. The SPO will assimilate, interpret, and disseminate in a timely manner to Society members information about relevant agricultural, natural resources and environmental legislation, rules and regulations under consideration by Congress and the Administration.

This page of the ASA-CSSA-SSSA web site will highlight current news items relevant to Science Policy. It is not an endorsement of any position.